Legal Insights
Plain-language guides and case briefs on Philippine law — researched from the firm's law library of 184,000+ statutes, Supreme Court decisions, and agency issuances, and written so non-lawyers can understand and act on them.
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Separation of Church and State: Civil Courts Have Jurisdiction Over Marital Disputes
The Supreme Court clarifies that civil courts, not church tribunals, have jurisdiction over petitions for declaration of nullity of marriage.
Courts Have Jurisdiction Over Church Marriages: Tilar v. Republic
The Supreme Court clarifies that civil courts have jurisdiction to declare church marriages void under the Family Code, rejecting the separation of Church and State argument.
Separation of Church and State: Supreme Court Upholds Labor Rights of Religious Workers
The Supreme Court rules that a pastor's dismissal is a secular employment matter, not an ecclesiastical affair, affirming labor protections.